ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. firm — decided
  4. mine — for digging
  5. firm — steady
  6. capital — a city
  7. kick — in football
  8. last — to go on
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. last — final
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. capital — money
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. firm — a company

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com